Following a 48-10 victory against Concord University Sept. 10, Elon University head football coach Jason Swepson looked apprehensive.
Although the team won by a decisive margin, Swepson said he was already looking ahead, knowing there is a lot of practice needed before the Phoenix travels to North Carolina Central University to face the Eagles Saturday.
"We have a lot of work to do. We are not where we need to be right now," senior defensive back Jonathan Conner said. "We are going to keep working because we need it."
This week during practice, the Phoenix looks to practice sustaining drives and playing a complete game, especially on the offensive side of the ball, Swepson said.
In the first half against Concord, the Phoenix rolled to 352 total yards and four offensive touchdowns. In the second half, Elon gained only 48 yards on offense.
On the other side of the ball, the Phoenix defense yielded only 90 total yards in the first half and gave up 157 yards in the second half against the Mountain Lions.
A big part of the change was because of junior quarterback Thomas Wilson. Before injuring his right ankle just before the half, Wilson was efficient, going 22 for 27 for 201 yards and three touchdowns. But he did not return in the second half.
This week in practice, Wilson is looking to slowly bring himself back to full speed while still being cautious of his ankle.
"Thomas [Wilson] had developed to be a tremendous leader for us," Swepson said. "Anytime you lose a leader on a young team, everyone's asking questions instead of focusing on the task at hand. If someone drops the gun, someone else has got to pick it up and shoot it."
Redshirt freshman Tyler Smith went in for Wilson for the rest of the game against Concord and will look to do the same if Wilson is unable to go against the Eagles.
To alleviate some of the pressure from Smith, who finished 0-4 with an interception filling in for Wilson, Elon will look toward its trio of senior running backs — Jamal Shuman, A.J. Harris and Dontay Taylor — who look to run against North Carolina Central to open the defense up to attack downfield.
"Offensively, we're not going to change anything," Harris said. "We're still going to try to play fast, looking to run the ball a lot and throw the ball a lot."
Against Concord, six different Elon players scored touchdowns, allowing the ball to be spread around to many different targets.
Additionally, two defensive touchdowns were scored against Concord — a blocked put return for a touchdown and a 99-yard interception return for a score. Elon looks to continue to spread the ball around to be successful, Swepson said.
For the Phoenix, this could mean either running or throwing, as the 2010 Eagles surrendered nearly 360 yards of total offense and more than 26 points per game.
Five of the top six tacklers from the 2010 North Carolina Central team were seniors, so the Phoenix looks to have a balanced attack against a young defensive unit.
"We still have a long way to go, but luckily we have one more test until conference play starts," Harris said, noting this week's game against the Eagles.
Elon's final non-conference test begins at 6 p.m. Saturday.